Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-12-21
SOME WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
'ostm villas On the Re.
turn Postal Card.

Po~smaster.General villas ON the Re-
turn Postal Card.
HE TALKS OF THE PosT-oFyIcE AND PROPOSES SOME
IDEAS NOT IN HIS REPoRr-LAMARs coNFTExA-
TIoS-TALK WITH A sESAr0R-ruE NEW CONGRESS
AND ITS TWELVE THOUSAND BILLS
Postmaster General Villas is looking remarkably
well. He shows no signs Of the hard work which
he has put on his report, and he has evidently
braced his system for the arfuous duties OF the
Interior Department., OF which he Is 50 soon to
take charge. He Is 1unge, satisfied with the con-
dition OF the Post-Ofice Department and In a re-
cent conversation he remarked upon the extraor-
binary increase OF its business. said he:
"Our sales OF stamps for the past year have gone
up from $40 600 900 70 $44, 100000, and at the
present time IL IS perfectly safe 10 say that the
DEPARTMENT Is sELF-sUPPoRriNG.
At the end OF this fiscal year It Is altogether proba-
bic that there will be no need OF asking Congress
tor a deficiency appropriation. While the expenses
OF the Department have increased rather than
diminished has beea possible TO greatly increase
nearly all the principal items OF revenue very
20 q as sS soM
has come from a single decision, by which we ad-
mitted 20 the malls the the class OF matter that
mad hitherto been rejected, becaus OF the danger
from breakage. THIS embraces liquids OF all sorts,
oils saves samples OF sirups, liquors. &C. 1t was
found upon ne nad NEW and
1t possible 10 send these things safely, and we
have opened the doors TO them without any un-
the various ties have thus made use Of the mails
TO increase their business. and, with the present
magnificent prosperity OF the country, the sales Of
stamps on this account alone have been something
tremendous. Some notifications which have been
made from time 10 time IN the scheme OF printing
envelopes and various sorts OF postal stationery
have also added largely TO the revenues OF the De-
partment.
THE DEPARTMENT AS A PRINTING OFFICE.
"Do you think, Mr.. Villas that the Post-O1ice
Department will ever DO any Of the business print
ing OF the country?"
II do not know. II it were not for the hostility
unions, ] would be disposed to recommend that
the Department engage In certain class Of work
OF this kind had 4 consultation lately with the
American Bank Note Printing Company as TO
whether they could make machinery which would
print the two-cent postal sheet which was issued
some time ago. You remember this sheet had a
two-cent stamp on one side Of it, and It's edges
were so gummed that a letter could be written on
the other side and in sealing the writing could be
Postmaster-General Cresswell. It was not put
sns S the The o.
Company said they could easily make
such machinery, and the system OF turning out
cut from the roll, printed perforated and gummed
for use with lightning rapfdity, and do not see
why the same system OF printing eoold not be gtil-
could be gotten up for insurance companies medi-
cine firms, and all advertisers on large scale. We
the mere cost OF the work. We did 1t rapidly and
we'll The same machinery that turns out these
stamped sheets would print insurance advertise
ments or patent medicine circulars and II business
men could have these things thus printed by the
Department there would be an immense demand
for them. IL would increase our revenue millions
OF dollars. The only thing against 1t is the hos
tiiity OF the printers unions.
/" How about
THE RETURN POSTAL CARD?-
81 believe that Is device perfectly practicable,
and / have no doubt but that IL will be adopted
before a great WHILE / have Just seen q return
see, all that Is required. 1t Is a folded card,
the outside page or which should bear the address,
and the inside page should bear the message to be
written The person who receives this card has
simply TO fold IL the other way from which IL was
FIRST folded, and he has a page on which TO write
the address. Perforatlons are made on the folded
edge OF the card, through which pin, specially
prepared, may be inserted, with the mead and
point sunk so as not TO catch on anything or on
privacy is thereby secured, and such a card would
undoubtedly be very widely used, and do not
believe that IL would materially hurt the sales of
stamps"
LANAR's CHANCES OF CONFIRMATION.
1t is said the senators EdmundS and Ingalls, will
object TO Lamar's confirmation, provided his ap-
pOintment as supreme Court Justice Is sent to the
Senate, On the ground that he has passed his SIX
tltlu year. anu ludt WORKING 3OlllIy may De
impaired by old age. This Will be on the basis
that the working ability OF the court will be i'm
paired unless the new Judges appointed could have
at least ten years WORK In them. This objection,
however. Will PROBABLY be set aside in Mr.. Lamar's
case. He Is Very popular among the Senators, and
Edmunds Is one OF his particular friends. No mem
Der OF the judiciary committee has any positive
grounds for opposition TO his confirmation and his
legal ability is beyond question. republican
senator, who was waited upon BY delegation Of
quest that he should not vote for Lamar's con-
nrmatlon, said to-day:
81 told these gentlemen that should vote for
Mr.. Lamar because thought him in every way
mt for the supreme Bench, and as long as the new
judge must come from the South should prefer
10 have an old man rather than young Que. Who
ever the choice might be we should have to have an
ex-confederate, and, II so, would prefer 10 have
Mr.. Lamar, who is approaching old age. than
young, healthy, lusty man OF forty -five who might
remain on the bench long enough 10 witness its
entire change OF character on the issues settled by
the war;"
NEW BILLS IN CONGRESS
several thousand bills will probably be intro
duccd during the FIRST week OF the next session,
and it will he surprise to many as TO the number
Of bills that never get further than their rst read
Ing In the House. AMI smith, who has had
charge OF the Senate document room for years,
and who has a Phenomenal memory for bills re-
ports and documents, says that the demand upon
his stan OF assistants Is greater now than 1t has
been at any past session OF Congress Tn It he re-
members He told me that there was upwards OF
1900 bills introduced into the Forth-nlnth Con-
.,
Jailed TO pass thinks that 80 per cent OF these
old bills Will be introduced again before the
Fiftteth Congress Is sixty days old, and he says
that the large number OF new bills Is caused by
there being so many new members OF Congress-
Said he:
when the Senate receives new men to nearly
one-fourth OF It's seats and the House has q new
membership OF over one-third, IL Is reasonable to
expect more than an ordinary amount OF new leg
lslation. The principal demand upon US so far has
been from new members OF the House, who find 1t
easy 10 come here and over the new bills which
have been introduced and the reports which have
been made by their predecessors In previous Con-
crosses. This, OF course, takes In a great volume
OF small local legislation which constitutes proba-
bly, seyen-eightS OF all the printing connected with
the routine work OF any Congress-
In the mean time, Washington has its new Con-
gressmen upon every corner and the big little men
and the little great men push each other this way
and that In the corridors OF the Capitol There
are lots OF queer cranks, and ignorant greenhOrns
In the material which now comes 10 Washington
for the frst time, and the present session may be
relied upon As being full OF hunor as IL Will be
full OF IRE, spice and acrimonious discussions
FRANK q. CARPESTER.
Anything 90 Get Out Of the Service.
AN ENLISTED MAN COMMITS THEFT IN ORDER TO BE
DISCHARGED FROM THE ARMY.
From the PHILADELPHIA Press December 81